Michael J. Rosen, CFRE

Michael J. Rosen, CFRE is President of ML Innovations, Inc., a fundraising and marketing consulting firm serving nonprofit organizations and the companies that assist them. An AFP Certified Master Trainer and Certified Fundraising Executive, Michael is the author of the bestselling book "Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing."

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Posts tagged ‘special report’

[Publisher’s Note: “Special Reports” are posted from time-to-time as a benefit for subscribers and frequent visitors to this blog. “Special Reports” are usually not widely promoted. To be notified of all new posts, including “Special Reports,” please take a moment to subscribe in the right-hand column.]

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to renew and make permanent the IRA Rollover, a measure long-supported by the nonprofit sector. Congress approved the bill by a vote of 279-137. Of note, 39 Democrats joined with the Republican majority to ensure passage by a wide margin. The bill now moves to the Senate.

Like a similar measure passed last year, H.R. 644 — Fighting Hunger Incentive Act of 2015 includes the following components:

The IRA Rollover provision,

Extension and expansion of the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory,

Enhanced deduction for gifts of qualified conservation easements,

Modification of the excise tax on the investment income of private foundations.

Unfortunately, President Barack Obama has once again vowed to veto the bill if it reaches his desk in its present form. The House would need 290 votes to override a veto.

The White House opposition to the bill might be because the bill does not contain any provision that would pay for the tax breaks it would provide. The Congressional Budget Office has concluded that the bill would add to the Federal deficit.

Last year, the Democrat-controlled Senate failed to take any action on the comprehensive charitable giving incentive measure passed by the House. Now that Republicans control the Senate, there is a greater expectation of action this year. However, it remains to be seen if the bill can be modified to garner presidential support.

At 7:32 PM (EST) this evening, Dec. 16, 2014, the US Senate passed HR 5771, the bill that retroactively extends several tax provisions, including the IRA Rollover. The law will expire on Dec. 31, 2014, without any grace period. However, it’s important to note that the measure will not become law until signed by President Obama, which is expected.

While approval of the IRA Rollover is good news, it unfortunately comes extremely late in the year. This means most nonprofit organizations will be unable to fully take advantage of the provision. Nevertheless, there are a couple of simple actions you can take:

Look at your donor file to see which individuals have made gifts from an IRA in the past. Then, call those donors to let them know of the opportunity for 2014, assuming President Obama signs the measure. At the very least, email those donors.

Email all of your older donors to alert them to the opportunity for them to give from their IRAs. Even if they don’t take advantage of the IRA Rollover, they’ll appreciate that you informed them about this late breaking news.

[Publisher’s Note: “Special Reports” are posted from time-to-time as a benefit for subscribers and frequent visitors to this blog. “Special Reports” are usually not widely promoted. To be notified of all new posts, including “Special Reports,” please take a moment to subscribe in the right-hand column.]

On Wednesday, Dec. 3, the US House of Representatives passed a short-term tax extenders bill. The bill extended certain tax provisions for 2014, including the IRA Rollover, a provision long supported by the nonprofit sector. The package would cover 2014 but NOT apply to 2015 or beyond. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) has questioned whether the Senate will have time to pass the House bill before the end of the year. However, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, and the White House have shown a willingness to move forward with this one-year retroactive fix, according to Jason Lee, General Counsel at the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

The sad reality is that even if the tax extenders bill passes the Congress and is signed by Pres. Obama, there is precious little time for charities to take advantage of the IRA Rollover provision in 2014.

[Publisher’s Note: “Special Reports” are posted from time-to-time as a benefit for subscribers and frequent visitors to this blog. “Special Reports” are not widely promoted. To be notified of all new posts, including “Special Reports,” please take a moment to subscribe in the right-hand column.]

We have a winner!

As 2013 drew to a close, Michael Rosen Says… announced a chance for readers to win a free copy of Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing. To enter the book drawing, readers needed to share the title of a favorite book they recently read about fundraising, philanthropy, or civil society.

You can read the original post and discover what books have been recommended by clicking here.

The winner of the contest is Pete Stroble, President of the British Transportation Museum (Ohio). Pete’s name was randomly selected by guest judge Tracy Malloy-Curtis, Director of Philanthropic Planning at the International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region. I thank Pete for his book recommendation and Tracy for selecting our winner.

For writing Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing, I won the AFP/Skystone Partners Prize for Research in Fundraising and Philanthropy. The best-selling book is listed on the official CFRE International Resource Reading List. The average reader review on Amazon is 5-stars. You can find the book by clicking here.

[Publisher’s Note: “Special Reports” are posted from time-to-time as a benefit for subscribers and frequent visitors to this blog. “Special Reports” are not widely promoted. To be notified of all new posts, including “Special Reports,” please take a moment to subscribe in the right-hand column.]

A tax reform bill will not be introduced in the US Congress before the close of 2013, House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) indicated to The Hill.

Given that this is the first week of December and that House Republicans plan to leave Washington at the end of next week for the holiday break, the news is not surprising, even while important.

As soon as one month from now, the House could resume wrangling over a possible tax reform bill, according to Jason Lee, General Counsel for the Association of Fundraising Professionals. However, while the issue will be on the table in 2014, it will be a major challenge for Congress to move something as significant as a tax reform bill with the mid-term elections looming in November.

[Publisher’s Note: “Special Reports” are posted from time-to-time as a benefit for subscribers and frequent visitors to this blog. “Special Reports” are not widely promoted. To be notified of all new posts, including “Special Reports,” please take a moment to subscribe in the right-hand column.]

We’re honored to report that two new scholarly books have acknowledged the assistance and helpful insights of Michael J. Rosen, CFRE.

American Charitable Bequest Demographics (1992-2012), by Russell James, JD, PhD of Texas Tech University, provides an extensive review of the changing nature of American charitable estate planning. The book presents over 50 charts and graphs in simple, visual fashion with each page containing one graph or chart, comments on the importance of the information, and details about the methodology behind the data.

With James’ book, you’ll learn about the estate planning trends that affect planned giving; you’ll discover how different demographic factors (i.e.: age, race, gender, family status, etc.) affect charitable estate planning; you’ll see the impact of giving and volunteering on charitable estate planning. You’ll also gain many other useful insights.

On Thursday, Oct. 17, 2013, at noon (EDT), Denise McMahan will interview me about my award-winning book, Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing. This is a free webinar presented by CausePlanet. To learn more and to register, click here.

McMahan, the Founder and Publisher of CausePlanet, will focus the interview on some of the book’s highlights, including:

Understand planned gift donors’ motivations and how these fuel the author’s recommended approaches.

Explore how to educate and cultivate planned gift prospects and professional advisors.

Engage in effective asks and stewardship practices.

During the lively discussion, I will also share new insights based on the latest research.

Do you want to start a planned giving program? Do you want to reinvigorate an existing planned giving program? Do you want to maximize your planned giving results? If you answered “Yes” to any of those questions, then register today for this free webinar about the book that earned the prestigious AFP/Skystone Partners Prize for Research in Fundraising and Philanthropy.

On Oct. 1, 2013, the US federal government shutdown all non-essential operations. This is the first government shutdown in 17 years. It’s uncertain how long this shutdown will last. The failure by Democrats and Republicans in Washington to agree on a budget bill triggered the current shutdown.

At this point, we cannot really know how the impasse in Washington will affect the nonprofit sector, the nation, or the world. However, one thing is certain: The longer the shutdown continues, the greater the risks.

So that we all can get a better understanding of the situation, please take a moment to answer the following five poll questions:

Finding the right fundraising consultant can be challenging. However, that task has become a bit easier with the recent release from The Business of Giving of a list of “America’s Top 40 Most Effective Fundraising Consultants.”

Michael Chatman

Michael Chatman, host of #WHYiGIVE and one of the most listened-to voices in philanthropy and social innovation with more than 245,000 followers on Twitter, compiled the list by asking 250 leaders of charitable organizations to rank the most effective fundraising consultants.

I’m honored to be included on this year’s list alongside legendary figures in the fundraising profession. While I strive to keep Michael Rosen Says… virtually commercial-free, I’m posting the Top 40 list as a service to my readers.

For information about my services, please visit my business website: mlinnovations.com. If you’re interested in considering me as a speaker for your organization or professional association, I invite you to contact me.

With Chatman’s permission, here’s the list of “America’s Top 40 Most Effective Fundraising Consultants” along with links to their websites:

The report found that $1.4 billion in donations went to the 50 worst charities over the past 10 years. Of that, $970.6 million went to paid solicitors while $380.3 million went to charities. However, a scant $49.1 million went to direct aid.

In other words, the investigation found that just 3.5 percent of donations to the 50 worst charities went to services fulfilling charitable mission.

Watchdog groups say that no more than 35 percent of donations should go to fundraising expenses. Among the 50 worst charities, 69 percent of donations were spent on professional solicitation companies alone!

The report accuses some of the 50 worst charities of lying to donors about how their donations will be used, employing executives who take multiple salaries and/or who are also paid as consultants, contracting with outside fundraising companies owned by friends, family members, or the executives themselves. The report even accuses some of the 50 worst charities of using “accounting tricks” to inflate the value of the charitable work they are doing.